The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Glacier National Park is a landscape shooter’s dream, so why point the camera down into a creek? Because the whole park is made of colored rocks, which makes for colorful streambeds and especially lakebeds. I spent more than an hour playing with different compositions at this location, along the trail to Iceberg Lake. Totally lost myself in the bright, sparkling subjects. This one is bracketed by ripples in the water, which I think underscores the motion of the stream.
Specific Feedback
I have struggled with how to crop and present these compositions. I lean toward pano crops, perhaps envisioning these images large and beautifully lit on a wall. But these crops also get as much variety into the images as possible, hopefully making the viewer sweep the eye across and back, perhaps telling a story that the creek bed is a constantly changing canvas. I have others which are very close up of the colored pebbles, but don’t show motion in the water. Still others are too wide to capture the wonderful interplay of distorted light and color.
Technical Details
Olympus EM1 Mark II, F2.8, 1/1600th, ISO 200, 24MM (as is often the case, when I get excited about a subject, I forget to optimize settings as I shoot, which probably explains the F2.8!)
I love this. The colored rocks are so beautiful, sparkling, and jewel-like. The ripples in the water give it all a wonderful abstract texture. I can see where one might struggle deciding on the crop. I think that I, personally, would crop a little off the left side so the wedge with no colored pebbles matched the size and shape of the wedge on the right side. I would love to get to that area one day.
James, I like the idea of the pano crop. It does exactly as you wanted. My eyes move back and forth. There is so much beauty in the various shapes and colors. I see what @Chris_Baird means by the crop, and I tend to agree. Without your explanation, I wonder if I would see it as a stream. It has such a robust abstract feel to it. Your description of the adventure of finding this is fascinating.
Thanks Chris! Will try that crop suggestion.
I guess sometimes only a print will confirm that a shot is wall worthy so I’d better try one.
I have another collection of natural abstracts from Glacier: multicolored lichen on the multicolored rocks, boulders, cliffs! I made a set of coasters from the series.
If you go to the park I recommend the east side at Many Glacier.
Many thanks Barbara. Will try that crop. I do have some lake bed shots that feature the colored rocks as strong foreground and some jagged peaks in the distance. Got the abstract beauty up front but retained a sense of place. Will look at my streambed shots to see if any do a better job of saying “stream.”
